After The Storm
by very zealous reader
Summary: Set after season 4.  After an unexpected night with a vampire that could change everything, Sookie rethinks her decision to say goodbye to both Bill and Eric.  Did she make a mistake?  Who was she with and what is she going to do about it?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer - Of course, I do not own TB or SVM. I just didn't like the way season 4 ended. Personally I think AB is sometimes worse than a bad FF writer.**

* * *

><p>A strange noise gently jostled Sookie out of a deep, deep sleep. She refused to open her eyes and tried desperately to sink back into the bliss of the best night's sleep she had had in ages. Sookie was so comfortable. Her body was in the perfect position laying on a bed she was half convinced was really a cloud it felt so heavenly. The sheets surrounding her were so soft and just the right mix of materials so that they were petal soft without being overly silky. The comforter was just the right weight that she felt warm and cuddled not suffocated, the pillow was in just the right position. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. A small smile graced her lips as she luxuriated in the feeling.<p>

This was nirvana and she wanted more. Keeping her eyes closed she slowly rolled over onto her back. Maybe a different comfortable position would encourage the sandman to make another appearance. She drifted awhile longer on a soft sea of bedding before falling back asleep. Moments, minutes or perhaps hours later that same noise was interrupting her sleep…again.

What the hell?

How long had she slept? It must really be late. 10:00? 11:00? Had she slept past noon, she wondered. No, she swiftly stilled the voices in her head. Don't worry about the time. It doesn't matter. Today is your day off and you don't have anywhere to go, she told herself keeping her eyes closed. She would not look at the clock. No way. She was not going to acknowledge the day. She wanted to stay enveloped in her nest of bedding as long as she could. She desperately tried to burrow back into the restive sleep she had just woken from. Sookie had never felt this comfortable in her entire life. It was so blissfully quiet here. Sookie couldn't hear a thing. Nothing. Not a damn thing. It was magnificent. She simply laid there waiting for sleep to claim her again.

Unfortunately as much as her mind was telling, more like pleading with her body to go back to sleep, her senses were now engaged and slowly coming online. Sookie slowly reached up stretching each vertebra in her back and arched her legs, flexing her toes into points. She felt like a million bucks, like 10 million bucks, no. Like 100 million bucks! She felt awesome.

She felt better than she had in…. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this good. Sookie paused her stretching and contemplated that thought even further. Why she felt even better than when she had last drank vampire blood! And this was even better – it was all natural. This was all her! Her body had produced these kick butt endorphins all on their own, no vamp juice needed, thankyouverymuch! All she needed was a good night's sleep and…well… basically all she needed was sleep. At least that's all she was ready to focus on at the moment.

Sookie's internal voice turned snarky and was quick to add that a good night's sleep was not _all_ she had gotten last night. She actually giggled out loud at that thought as she continued her stretch. The bed was absolutely huge. Sookie lowered her arms and scissored her legs in modified snow angel move that made her feel like a small child. That thought caused her to let out a very unlady like snort. The last thing she should be feeling is childlike as she rolled around naked as the day she was born in these thousand-thread count sheets. Well naked babies are pretty much the definition of childlike; she reasoned causing another set of giggles.

She rolled back onto her side – the side away from the clock - and slowly opened her eyes. Even though the room was dimly lit she knew it must be fairly late in the day. Oh well, she thought, she had desperately needed the sleep and refused to feel guilty about sleeping the day away. Sorry Gran, no guilt today. At least not about sleeping late she quickly added. After all she had been up rather late last night.

Sookie knew these hours. She had put them in before. Back when she had dated Bill she had regularly slept late in the day, waking early only if she had to work the lunch shift. She had also found herself sleeping later and later when Eric had stayed with her, especially at the end. Sookie never really meant for it to happen, it just sort of had. Now that she had no vampire boyfriend and therefore no need to stay up she should be sleeping at night … like a human. But that was the problem. She wasn't. It was so ironic. Even though she had no reason to be she was apparently still functioning on the body clock of a common fangbanger; staying up way too late and sleeping away the day. Ugh. Pathetic when put that way….but it was true. Just call me Ginger, she thought. Double ugh.

She had been so convinced that saying goodbye to both Bill and Eric had been the right thing to do. Actually the _only_ thing to do. Her heart had felt so bruised and battered. She had just wanted to make it all stop hurting. She barely could breathe as she sat in that room with both of them. No matter what she was going to hurt someone and they were both important to her. She didn't want to hurt anyone. As always, hindsight is 20/20. Looking back she mentally shook her head over how naïve she had been. Now they were all hurting, well at least she knew she was.

She wondered if Eric and Bill were also hurting. Or had they already moved on? Did Eric ever think about the time he spent with her when he was under Marnie's spell? Did he ever stop and think about the discarded clothing that they had hastily left in the woods? Were their clothes still there? She had thought about it … more often than she should have. Once she had almost hiked back through the woods to find out. After all that had been one of her favorite sweatshirts and she wanted it back. But in the end she didn't go. Sookie didn't think she could handle seeing the evidence of the desire and passion she and Eric had shared that night. To see just how far their clothing had been scattered and how many items had ripped in their haste to get down to bare skin. No, she wasn't strong enough. She had made the right decision not to go.

Did Bill ever look out at towards her house and think of her? Did he ever pause in the middle of some vampire king duty and remember making love with her in the cemetery between their houses? If she closed her eyes and really concentrated she could still smell the beeswax candles that had been burning when they would bathe together in that huge tub at his house. Hmmm….did he even still have that tub? Now that his house had been restored to its old glory the washing tub had probably been replaced with some modern Jacuzzi tub. What a shame, she thought. That had been a beautiful old tub.

She didn't know if they ever thought of her, but she sure thought about them. She hadn't really talked to either one since that night. Four months later she could still hear herself begging, pleading with them not to not stop her and let her go. And they had…. damn them.

Both had rushed over when Tara had been shot. Whether they felt her distress or heard her cries she didn't know. Tara's wounds had been too grave and she was dead long before they had arrived even though it had been only moments later. It had seemed like a lifetime to Sookie. She felt as if she had aged years in those few seconds.

There was nothing they could have done to save her. Not that Tara would have wanted anything to do with vampires….even if they had been trying to save her life. In the end she went out in a blaze of glory. Just like her favorite Bon Jovi song that they had sung to countless times. Sniffing back tears, Sookie quickly ran her fingers under her eyes trying to get rid of the tears pressing hotly behind her eyelids.

Tara was now in a better place. Sookie had decided months ago to remember Tara from their childhood when things had been simpler and life easier; at least between the two of them. The last few years had not been easy on Tara. But in all honesty, Tara had also made life plenty difficult for a lot of people too…Sookie included. Tara had definitely made some poor decisions, but that was over and done with now. No more tears, she scolded herself. Tara would not want her crying. Especially since she had been finally feeling so good and not crying for once.

So had _she_ made a poor decision?

She had needed to end things with both of them. Right? It had been such a mess. She couldn't take feeling ripped in half. But the kicker was…she still felt ripped open. She felt downright hollow inside. As if someone had reached in and scooped out her insides like they were seeds in a ripe summer melon. It was a hole that nothing seemed to fill. She couldn't sleep at night, had no interest in food, her best friend was dead and her brother was even more self-involved than normal. Jason was so confused over the whole Jessica and Hoyt thing, how in the world could he help her deal with the love triangle she was…._had_ been in? No, this was conversation for a BFF, at least a girl friend. And that was a problem. Sookie really didn't have one of those.

So she worked and worked and worked some more. Double shifts at Merlotte's to scrubbing the bathroom tile at home. She'd stay busy even if it cost her sore feet and raw hands. Luckily (for her at least) one of Sam's waitresses had suddenly quit so there was plenty of extra shifts to pick up. Which was good thing, as the house really did NOT need to be scrubbed. Eric's army of workers must have included some very Gran-like cleaners as the house was practically spotless. Nevertheless, she cleaned anyway. Straightening and rearranging anything and everything that wasn't nailed down. Just about every piece of furniture in the house had found a new home (or two) and all the knickknacks too. She finally had to force herself to stop rearranging her kitchen cabinets when even she couldn't find things…like plates to eat off of. At least that gave her something else to do – kitchen search and rescue was becoming a real time consumer.

That night she had needed to get her feelings off her chest so she could breathe again. And she had felt a little freer, perhaps lighter? At least for a short while. But the truth that she had been forced to recognize late one sleepless night was that while saying goodbye had at least let her verbalize her inability to make a choice, but her feelings still existed. She _still_ had feelings for both of them. She was afraid she would always love Bill, at least a little. He was her first love. He had said she was the love of his life, what girl didn't want to hear that? And she would never be able to forget her time with Eric. He had treated her like she was his first love. Eric had loved her with such pureness; all of her. He knew no differently, she had been his entire world and he had wanted it that way. But now he was different. He was right when he had said that he was more…he was Eric. So very Eric.

She blamed all these thoughts swirling through her head as to why she wasn't spending her nights sleeping. Most nights were spent wide awake, either staring at her ceiling or tossing and turning till her sheets practically fell to the floor. She would hardly sleep for a couple nights and then sleep like the dead the next. Sometimes she would even sleep for two consecutive nights and then she practically wanted to throw a party to celebrate how good she felt. Unfortunately before she could even write out those invitations, hell before she could even get in the car to go to the store to buy them, the pattern of sleeplessness would start up again.

It was getting absolutely ridiculous. She needed to figure out how to pull her life together. Starting with some rest and soon before she totally lost it. People already thought she was odd. Not to mention that she could pack a week's worth of clothing in the bags under her eyes. She had always enjoyed her work before and now she even dreaded going there. Sam meant well, but she was damn sick of the pity in his eyes when he looked at her. Not to mention that her sleep deprived zombie-like state had resulted in her taking more than one wrong order and she had spilled more drinks than a double fisted drinker with a severe case of Tourette's syndrome. Her tips were suffering right along with her general well being. Gran would say she wasn't fit for company and would most likely send her to her room. She really shouldn't even be leaving her house, but she knew she was spending too much time alone. Argh! What a Catch-22 her life was becoming! She felt like she couldn't win. Is this what insanity felt like?

Was that what had led her to today? Could she plead insanity as to her actions last night? She out right laughed at the mental image of herself standing in a courtroom before a robed man who faintly reminded her of Judge Wapner from the People's Court. Her sole garment was a very large and expensive looking bed sheet which she clutched to her chest while trying to raise her right hand, put her left hand on a Bible and remain decently covered at the same time.

'Miss Stackhouse, how do you explain your actions from last night?' he questioned in a no nonsense voice.

Despite the incredible case of bed head she was sporting, she responded in a very serious voice, 'Insanity sir, I claim insanity.'

'Not acceptable. You may be tired and under a lot of self-imposed stress. But you are _not_ insane. Please answer the question.'

'Well then, I plead the Fifth.'

'Oh really… the Fifth? And why is that young lady?'

'Five, your honor. I meant five,' she responded in a much quieter voice, looking down at her bare feet.

'What? Speak up please. Five what? What does the number five have to do with anything?' He was clearly losing his patience and gave her a hard look over the tops of his bifocals.

Sookie cleared her throat, shook back her hair and met his stare.

'Yes, I said five your honor. Five…I do believe that is how many orgasms I had last night. But honestly, I might have lost count. It could have been more. After all it has been a while for me and it was a long evening…'

Ha! Could you imagine?

Shaking away the daydream she closed her eyes and rolled over once again to face the opposite direction. Time to stop thinking so much and get on with this day, Sookie told herself. Like Gran would say, 'time to face the music' or 'you've made your bed, now you lie in it.' Well… she was still lying in this bed, and in this case some hard working hotel maid had actually made the bed. However, Sookie had actively participated in the _un_making of this bed. She had most definitely – gloriously - gotten laid in this bed. Not quite how Gran would had meant it, but somehow she was sure that Gran would have appreciated the twist…after first being properly shocked and scandalized of course.

Taking a deep breath she slowly opened her eyes and gazed across the bed at the figure lying next to her.

Absently Sookie noted the time displayed on the alarm clock beyond him. Wow, it really was late. But she still had time. First she was content to just look, examining him from head to toe. Soon that wasn't enough; she quickly scooted across the bed leaving her warm nest to move to the cooler spot closer to him. Sookie made a quick grab to bring all the blankets with her. Once she was again swaddled, she restarted her examination. Had he always been this good looking? So strong? So appealing? Were his shoulders always this broad? Sookie found herself swallowing hard over the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. Before she could stop herself her finger was slowly tracing down his nose and rubbing gently back and forth over his bottom lip. So soft. So very soft.

Argh! What was she doing? She abruptly wretched her hand away and all but threw herself away from his body. The bed bounced slightly from her sudden movements and for a moment it appeared that he was wakening from his daytime slumber. Sookie stopped breathing. Finally after a minute she realized what had happened and released her breath in a loud sigh. She breathed rapidly as if to make up for that lost minute and forced herself to get out of bed.

What was she going to do?

Ten minutes later she left the bathroom dressed in a thick white robe and no closer to a decision. Trying to keep her distance from the bed and all the attractions that it held she sat at the slightly uncomfortable desk chair on the edge of room. The large bed dominated the room and there really wasn't any other place to sit. The little sitting area with the comfy looking couch was far too close to him.

What was she going to do? Should she leave? Wait for him to wake? What would she say? What would he say? In so many ways she felt like a hypocrite. She wouldn't - _couldn't - _choose before and had all but begged him to let her go and now look at what she had done. Well what THEY had done really, she mentally corrected staring at the bed and its occupant. She had definitely _not_ been alone last night. What was that other saying that Gran had always liked? 'It takes two to tango.' Well they had tangoed and then some last night. All night long, she added with a small smile.

What was she going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to CH and sort of to AB.

* * *

><p>In the end, she left.<p>

After nearly an hour of sitting in that uncomfortable desk chair Sookie was no closer to a decision. Part of her wanted to stay, but a part of her also screamed to run and run as fast as she could. She decided she needed to get her head together before having to talk about what had happened last night. Although…maybe they wouldn't end up talking at all? Would that be such a bad thing? Long term it was not the answer, but for the short term?

Once she had decided to go she wanted out as fast as possible. A quick look in the mirror confirmed that she desperately needed to shower. She had no brush and there was no way she could make her sex-hair look anything other than what it was. Sookie took the quickest shower ever, which was a shame because like the rest of the suite, the bathroom was first rate. The Meridian really knew how to put together a bathroom. The oversized shower had multiple heads, benches and enough room for a small orgy. It was a shower meant to be lingered in an enjoyed and not just by oneself. As she closed her eyes to rinse the hotel conditioner from her hair, the thought of taking a shower with him crept in her head. They had done that before in her home and her shower was a fraction of the size of this one. She was sure they could make use of this award worthy shower, but sometimes being forced to maneuver in a tight space wasn't all a bad thing either. They had managed just fine back in Bon Temps. Just damn fine. A blush stole up her cheeks at the thoughts of what they could do here. Enough Sookie! She turned the water to ice cold with a quick slash of her hand to finish her rinse.

Since she had brushed her teeth earlier, a quick towel dry and a finger comb and she was done in the bathroom. She started to gather up her clothes but could not find her panties. Where could they be? She tried to think back on where exactly she had been when they came off. They should still be in one piece. Where were they? After exhausting all the options except for the bed she gave up. She was not going to start checking the sheets and unmaking the bed. Nope. She was not going to peel back the covers to see if they were wedged anywhere near his body. She walked around to the side she had slept in and dropped to her knees to look under the bed. No luck. "Don't even think about taking another peek Sookie," she muttered. After another quick pass around the room she gave up. They were only panties after all.

She had already decided she was going to leave him a note. Really she felt she had too. After all Sookie was willing to admit that she was being a bit of a chicken, she just couldn't face him again … so soon, especially when he'd be so….so naked.

A half hour later she finally finished with what she had deemed an acceptable note. It was really pretty pathetic, but she couldn't stare at the blank white paper any longer. She really didn't know what to say, how to explain what she was feeling. She carefully placed it in the center of the desk where he would see it when he awoke. She looked around once more to make sure she had everything, not that she had much to begin with. Shoes and purse in hand she reached for the doorknob, she glanced once more over her shoulder at the bed. Softly dropping her things she padded back to the bed to do what she sworn she wasn't going to. She perched on the edge close to his body.

Without thinking she reached up to straighten his hair. She wasn't going to be the only one to wake up with a raging case of sex hair. Sookie found herself smiling at the thought. Her fingers combed through his hair softly coming to rest on his cheek. She was close enough that when she sighed, her breath caused his hair to move a little. She simply got lost in looking at him. He was an incredibly good looking man. Honestly she had always been drawn to him ever since she had first seen him at the bar. Giving herself a little shake she pulled up the bedding a little, smoothing it over his chest. She couldn't resist running her finger through the front of his hair one more time and then she leaned in to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Goodbye."

She forced herself up and off the bed, walking backwards towards the door. Her eyes never left him. Slipping her shoes on, she grabbed her purse and was out the door before she could turn around again. The heavy door with its very complicated locking mechanism shut with a loud firm thud. She was out and now there was no way back in at least not without him.

Before they had gone to Dallas and she had stayed in her first vampire hotel, it had been explained in great detail to her. Security was of utmost importance in a hotel that catered to vampires. Only a vampire could open the door to the room. Some sort of sensor would verify that they were a vamp and then there was a key card and a numeric code. It had been made clear to her that she could leave the room during the day, but that she would not be able to get back in. After all a vampire was most vulnerable while in their daytime rest and needed to be protected.

So now that she had let the door close she was out…no going back in. She couldn't give in to that nagging feeling of just wanting to ease back into that heavenly cloud of a bed and let him ease back into her. Now she should be able to relax and unclench her stomach muscles, right? But those muscles which had been pulling tighter and tighter as the afternoon progressed stubbornly refused to loosen and her knees suddenly felt a little weak. She leaned back against the door, sliding down slightly fighting back a fresh round of tears. How in the world does she get in these situations? Once again she found herself leaving this man only to cry once the door was shut between them.

You did it once Sookie, you can do it again. Get a move on.

The chime of an arriving elevator brought her back to reality. Sookie quickly straightened and went searching after the sound. She needed to get out of this place and get some air. Where was that elevator? She had absolutely no memory of where it was. She quickly walked around the bend of the hallway and found the waiting lift. The elevator was one of those fancy glass ones. Sookie walked in pressed L for lobby and kept her eyes on the doors, waiting for them to close. She had no interest in the view the three glass walls would display, Sookie had seen it last night. She just wanted out of this hotel.

Finally the doors began to close. The inside of the doors were mirrored from top to bottom. Sookie couldn't help but look herself over as the elevator began to descend. So this is what the 'walk of shame' feels like she mused. Here she was leaving a hotel with only her purse; her sundress was wrinkled and clearly had _not_ spent the evening hanging daintily from a hanger. Nope, her dress had spent the night wadded up on the floor and that is exactly what it looked like. The worst part was her panty-less state. Whenever she moved she was freshly reminded of her bareness down there. Her hair was still slightly wet and she had zero makeup on. Walk. Of. Shame.

While the upper floors were almost eerily quiet the lobby was practically a hot bed of activity. The cleaning staff was hard at work and what she guessed to be other hotel guest were milling around. Once the doors slowly opened Sookie practically took off like an Olympic sprinter. She forced herself to slow down as every step sent a brisk breeze up her skirt. She quickly realized that she needed to walk or she was going to give some unsuspecting person quite a show as her skirt bounced around.

She did however stop when she saw the complimentary coffee cart for the human guests of the hotel. I guess they can't just cater to the vamps, she thought. "Their" humans would probably need to suck down a ton of caffeine after being up late at night. Sookie knew. She was craving some coffee in the worst way. Hot damn! It was Starbucks too. Sookie filled the largest paper cup she could find.

With caffeine in hand Sookie felt a little more equipped to face the rest of the day. The mental voices surrounding her seemed extra loud and her shields weak. She hadn't needed to keep them up last night and she almost felt a little rusty. Her day of contemplation had worn her out; all the time she had been spending by herself was not helping either. It was just one more reason to get out quick. Where in the world was the exit? There it was. The glass revolving doors to freedom were on the far side of the room just past the concierge desk.

As she strode through the posh lobby with her eyes on the prize, she caught the eye of the concierge. He was a decent looking man with a friendly smile. However Sookie quickly realized that his insides did not match his pleasant, if slightly unremarkable exterior. As each guest passed the desk, he would call out a friendly greeting. "Welcome to the Meridian," "good afternoon," "have a nice day," and mentally he would call each one a _fangbanger_ or something equally unpleasant, his mind spitting out the words like dirty curses. Sookie got the extra bonus of being a _fangbanging whore_ along with his ideas of what he would like to do with her, to her. His mental images were so graphic, so vivid that she very nearly dropped her coffee. She picked up her pace, lack of underwear be damned, and kept as far away from him as possible. Say what you will about vampires but humans could be ugly, so very ugly.

After revolving through the large glass door she stopped to take in the sunshine. Lifting her face to the sky she enjoyed the warmth on her face. Sookie looked around to get her bearings and figure out where she had left her car yesterday. She had parked down by the mall which was just a short walk away. She had to laugh; she had driven all this way to come to the mall and hadn't even made it into one store. The parking garage was as close as she had gotten. Well, she could shop now…but she found that really didn't interest her anymore. Her body urged her to keep going, so she did.

* * *

><p>As the sun began to descend for the evening the vampire in room 463 awoke. Instantly he knew that she was not there. His hand still snaked out, reaching across the bed to where she had been sleeping when he had died for the day. He inhaled deeply taking in the pleasing aromas that filled the room; sweet fairy woman, arousal, and sex. Lots of sex. He wanted more, not just the remaining aromas. He wanted the real thing. Her side of the bed was cold; she had not been there for quite some time. Yet her smell was still strong in the room. She may have left his bed, but she had only recently left the room.<p>

He rolled over to where her scent was the strongest and briefly allowed himself to lie where she had. Leaving the fragrant sheets, he found his pants on the floor and located his phone hoping for a message. He quickly scrolled through his inbox; twenty-nine unread messages and texts, but not the one he wanted to see. Plenty of things to do, meetings to attend and the usual vampire political bullshit, not to mention several 'Where the fuck are you?' type messages. Apparently he couldn't just disappear for an evening unannounced.

He smiled, oh yes, he had already decided. He needed to do just that and do it more often. It was time for a little more shakeup, time to redefine what he would be doing and where he would be spending time….a lot more time if he his way. He was immortal, damn it, all he had was time. Glancing back down he searched through the list of waiting messages again. Fuck. She hadn't replied to what he had sent her.

"Sookie, Sookie, Sookie….what is going on in that pretty head of yours?" He wondered out loud. And more importantly, why did you leave?

He licked his lips and could taste her sweet kisses. Closing his eyes he breathed in again; glorying in her scent. He lost track of time as he stood there. As much as he wanted to chase after her he knew that would not be wise. His Sookie apparently needed still more space. He was determined to stay true to his vow to honor her request to let her walk away. No matter how wrong he felt she was being, she had to work this out for herself. Things would be better in the long run if he could be patient, so he would. He had been forced to be patient before; he just needed to be again. However Sookie's mortality weighted heavily on him; she didn't have time for him to be too patient. He knew she would be back. She would be his again.

Shaking himself out of his revere he entered the bathroom. He needed to shower, it was a shame really. He would have loved to bask in the scent of their lovemaking for days, but he knew it would be noted. Tongues would be wagging - especially one. He was not willing to tip his hand to his unworthy opponent; at least not yet. As it was, enough questions would arise from last night's activities.

Sookie had also showered; her scent still danced in the lingering warmth and moistness in the air. As he reached for the soap and the washcloth she had used he noted the irony. They each may have washed the others scent from their skin, but in using the same little bottles the hotel lined up on the counter they would still leave smelling the same. The thought oddly comforted him. As the warm water began to rain down he was reminded of a more satisfying shower they had shared at her house. He quickly grew aroused at the memory. Damn her for leaving! Damn her ability to get him hard without even a touch, without even being there. Damn her.

Soon he was dressed and found the note placed square in the middle of the desk. It simply said:

Thank you for everything.

Please don't be mad – I had to go.

I need to think.

~ Sookie

He barked out a laugh, more thinking! She wants to do more thinking.

"Un-fucking-believable!"

Before he knew what he was doing he had crumpled her note. Stubborn girl, she is going to think away her life. One day she would wake up and realize her life was practically over and that all she's done is think. She needed to live her life, not sit on the sidelines. Sookie needed to act. She needed to do something, anything had to be better than the sad, uncomfortable path she seemed to be currently on. Sookie was a passionate woman; in the relatively short time he had known her he was often surprised at how brazen and bold she could be. Why was she so timid now? Why was she being so content to sit and watch the world go by?

She had not held back last night, at least not after the initial shock of seeing him. Her passion had roared to the surface and he had more than enjoyed answering its call. They had been insatiable, each pushing each other with their desires. It had been amazing. After she had finally fallen asleep, he had watched her. He had found he couldn't take his eyes off of her; the curve of her hip, the rise and fall of her breathing, the slight movement behind her eyelids, her hand as it slightly gripped his chest.

He wondered how she had felt this morning; the proverbial morning after. He knew that she hadn't immediately bolted out the door as the reality of what they had done set in. He took comfort that she had stayed…at least for part of day. He glanced down at the ball of paper in his hand, smoothing it roughly against his thigh he folded it neatly in half and tucked it into his shirt pocket.

"Damn." He despised these feelings. He was not accustomed to this feeling of weakness.

Her first kiss had practically ripped him open. It seemed like forever since he had held her, kissed her, made love to her. He honestly had wondered if he had been remembering correctly. He had never doubted his memories before but surely she couldn't have tasted so sweet, her body been so smooth and her thighs so welcoming. She couldn't be that perfect for him…could she? But the moment her lips touched his again, he knew that his memory was flawlessly correct. She was everything he had remembered. Sookie with her tempting sun kissed body and sassy warm mouth had offered him a slice of nirvana last night…but he wanted the whole damn thing.

Slipping on his suit jacket he allowed himself one more deep breath before leaving the suite. He caught a good look at himself as the elevator doors closed. He took in his appearance with a critical eye, scowling at what was revealed. His suit was a mess, his jacket in particular. Sookie's hands had really done a number on his lapels. He knew there was no way to smooth those wrinkles out without a trip to the dry cleaners. Luckily, his shirt was more presentable. He had found that on top of the couch so at least it hadn't been stepped on like the rest of his clothing. As the elevator finally started to move he reached into his jacket pocket for his keys, wanting to remove the wrinkled mess before he arrived in the lobby. Instead of keys, his fingers unexpectedly ran into something decidedly softer; a creamy scrap of cotton. Looking down he realized he was holding Sookie's panties. Unbidden, his fangs ran out.

How wildly appropriate that he had discovered them while still in the elevator. This is where they had been when her panties had first been placed in his pocket; right after he had helped her remove them. Looking up he couldn't help but smirk at himself in the mirror. The reminder of their previous ride in the elevator had him pivoting around to closely exam the glass on the opposite wall. Yes, upon close inspection he could see what appeared to be Sookie's smudged handprints from where she had pressed them against the smooth surface. He hoped he hadn't left similar finger prints on her hips. Although on second thought, maybe he hoped he had.

So Sookie had left wearing nothing on her delectable little bottom. Every step would remind her of her lack of underwear and exactly how she had ended up that way. He couldn't have planned it better if he had tried.

* * *

><p>Sookie finally turned her car towards home. It was late and she had to be at least a little responsible today. She was out of clean uniforms and needed to do some laundry before work tomorrow. She had successfully managed to flit away the entire day. Well okay, at least the part of the day that she had been conscious for. She really hadn't done anything of measure, except for burning up a lot of gas and putting even more miles on her car. It was pitch black when she finally unlocked her back door and let herself into the house.<p>

Dropping her keys on the counter, she headed for the shower. She wanted to smell like herself again, like her own bath products. Perhaps a little Peach Bellini body wash would help reset her mind and body back to normal. It wasn't that the smell of the hotel soap was unpleasant. The smell was just another constant reminder of what had happened. Sookie only wished she could just as easily wash away the pleasant soreness she felt in her body, especially in some areas. She had forgotten how the day after a sex-a-thon could feel. While the hot water felt wonderful on her slightly stiff and sore muscles, it did sting a little on certain spots that were a little tender. She had found several areas that must have been repeatedly rubbed by stubble or sucked upon or both.

Sookie quickly dressed for bed and finally put on a pair of panties for the first time today. Halleluiah – that was more like it! She was drawn to her phone once again. Re-reading the texts she had found. He had sent them. He must have found her new phone after she had fallen asleep and he programmed himself in. The nerve. The message was one word, one simple word. It had stopped her cold in her tracks. She glanced down at the small letters on the screen once again.

He had sent her a series of texts. Sookie had no idea that her phone could even do that. She had just gotten the blasted thing last week. Jason had needed to show her what the funny green light had meant. She could still see the confused look on her brother's face as he asked, "Who's this Sook? You got a new…um a new... friend?" when he had seen who sent the message.

She guessed she should be glad that he didn't actually enter his name into her contacts. She had been forced to bite her lip while attempting to shrug Jason off. She didn't want to lie; but wasn't ready to open up that can of worms, especially with Jason. She thought she had been reasonably successful in deflecting her brother. Well at least for now. Thank goodness that Jason had respected her privacy enough to not actually read the messages.

He had put her on alert; sending her a message - the same message - every two hours, until she either responded or cancelled it. She figured the incoming chime was what had woken her up at 10:00 this morning and then again at noon. She must have been in the shower when the 2:00 one had arrived. Sookie had been driving when she heard that same noise again at 4:00. She realized it was coming from her purse; digging through the contents she finally figured out that it was her phone. She had stopped by Jason's house to have him explain it to her. After all he was the one that insisted she get this new fancy phone that was just like his. Thankfully Jason had been able to show her how to turn off the alert before it had gone off again.

She refreshed the screen again and stared at those four little letters. STAY.

The sky was dark as coal now; the sun had set hours ago. What was he doing? Where was he? Was it back to business as usual; just another night spent with a willing bed partner? She hoped not. Had he found her note? Was he disappointed that she had left? If only she had found his text messages before she had left the hotel. Would she have stayed then? She didn't know.

She plugged the phone into its charger without deleting the messages. She found she couldn't do it. Sookie crawled into bed wondering if he would come to her or would he stay away. She closed her eyes and couldn't decide what she wanted him to do. And more importantly, what was she going to do?

* * *

><p>Please let a new writer know what you think...review!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: It all belongs to the talented CH and semi-talented AB.

* * *

><p>Cool fingertips ghosted up her side, barely touching her skin. Sookie's eyes slowly opened. She must have fallen asleep. Sookie blinked through her slight confusion before focusing on the man lying beside her. She silently watched him; his eyes were focused on his fingers as they traced along her skin. She couldn't stop the small smile that formed on her lips. Closing her eyes again, she enjoyed the feelings running through her body and the feel of his touch.<p>

It must be late. She felt the weight of the night on her eyelids encouraging them to stay closed, but she also felt an incredible energy thrumming through her. Cracking her eyes open she watched as the fingers made the return trip down her arm and along her side trailing over the bare skin of her abdomen to circle her belly button before gently coasting back up. The light touch on the inside of her outstretched arm should have tickled, but instead it sent a shiver of expectation shuddering down her spine. The feeling was absolutely delicious as it settled low in her belly.

His head snapped up at the movement of her body.

"Cold?" His voice was rough and raspy from non use. Apparently even vampires suffer from that very human trait. He quietly cleared his throat and repeated, "Are you cold?"

"No."

"Good." A knowing look slid over his face.

The fingers that had paused at their verbal exchange began to move again. This time with a firmer stroke he traced her arm up to where her hands still clutched at the headboard. He gently pulled them free before guiding them down to her sides. Her fingertips tingled as the blood began to rush back into place and she wiggled them to encourage the blood flow. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he watched the movement of her hands. He shifted in the bed and began to press light kisses across her stomach. Her hands landed on his shoulders and she couldn't help but knead the cool muscles stretched out before her.

He glanced up meeting her eyes. Flashing a very fangy smile, he nuzzled his face to her navel again before tugging down the sheet that had been covering her lower half. He quickly replaced it with his body and he began to move up her body with his eyes glued to her mouth. Sookie licked her lips in anticipation and leaned forward to meet him.

"Sookie."

"Yes," she breathed out in a whisper.

"Sookie!"

The warm hand on her shoulder stopped her forward momentum and confused the hell out of her.

What? She quickly looked around.

"Sookie!" From the tone of Sam's voice, she could tell that he had been repeatedly calling her name. She jerked backwards and blushed hotly at where her mind had been.

"Your order's up." He quickly pulled his hand back to steady the pitcher he was filling with Bud Light and gestured with his chin towards the kitchen pick up window. He looked up again and when he finally caught her eyes he stopped the tap and sidled closer to her. Leaning over the bar he whispered, "You okay? You…"

"Yes Sam." Sookie cut him off not wanting to know what he was going to say. "Sorry, must have been lost in my own head for a second."

He cocked his head and thankfully didn't say another word. He did however; continue to give her a hard look. Sookie had no idea what he was thinking; his thoughts were particularly garbled today. Usually she had a fair idea of what was going on in his head, probably due more to their long term friendship than her telepathy. Shifter thoughts were usually harder for her to read, but today his mind was just a jumble of distortion.

He continued to gaze at her, a question mark written all over his face. He had looked at her that way all day. Apparently she was a puzzle that he could not solve, at least not today. And that was just fine with Sookie.

She turned and headed toward the kitchen. Sookie knew she had to be beet red from the heat she was feeling on her cheeks. She couldn't believe she had lost herself in a sex moment at work. Talk about a place where she usually did not think about sex. It was Merlotte's. A nice place and all but it was work; it should be pretty UN-sexy to her.

But apparently HE was sexy enough to even make an UN-sexy place seem sexy. Or had the sex just been so … SEXY. Did that even make sense? She didn't know anymore. Except here she was, thinking about sex at work. And the blush on her cheeks wasn't the only place blood was rushing to at the moment. Ugh. She resisted the urge to run her hands down her arms and adjust her shorts. Shake it off girl, she told herself. Work had been going great tonight and she wanted it to continue that way.

The radio dial rolled across several stations before hot salsa music suddenly came pouring out of the kitchen. Good, Lafayette must have just started his shift. She had hoped he was coming in. With an added skip to her step she popped up in front of the serving hatch to grab her order: fried pickles, two baskets of wings and an incredibly rare burger.

"Hey-a Laf!" she called out loudly, projecting to be heard over the throb of the music. "You better turn it down sister, before Sam comes and rains on your parade. You know how he can be!"

Lafayette turned around, carefully pulling his hairnet on to not disturb his hair. Today it involved at least two scarves and some sort of broach. Sookie seemed to remember Gran having something similar in her jewelry box. She was sure Gran had never worn one quite the same way that Laf did. Then again, not many people did things like Laf….at all. He was truly one of a kind.

He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly closed it when he saw her. He turned his head from one side to the other as if trying to decide something. Narrowing his eyes in concentration he ran them over Sookie again from top to bottom, or at least as much as he could see through the window. What was wrong, she thought. Was she still blushing? Did she have something on her face?

"Mmm…..mmm, mmm." Something was different, something about her. He shook his head. "Damn woman, you are looking mighty tasty today!" He took a couple steps closer to get a better look, "You got a new beauty secret you wanna share with your good friend?"

All she could do was laugh and shake her head at him. She really loved Lafayette, she really did. They had been friends before everything 'went to shit,' as he had taken to calling it. Tara, Lafayette and Sookie had done their fair share of raising hell and adding to Gran's white hairs back in the day. But now, after everything they had gone through, they were bonded in a way that neither of them would have thought possible before.

"The only thing tasty back here is your cooking. And you of course," she drawled back at him with a smile.

"That is true my dear" he said with a laugh. "That is so true." He was still smiling, but his eyes were intently watching her. She flushed again and hurried to load her tray with food. Sookie could feel his eyes remain on her as she beat a hasty retreat.

Sheesh! She had been expecting the extra scrutiny from Sam, but not from Lafayette. In fact she had been a little scared to go anywhere physically near to Sam today, trying to avoid him and his nose. In addition to her shower last night, she had made sure to thoroughly wash herself two times in the shower this morning. Had she been able to wash the scent of vampire off? Sam had that damn bloodhound supe nose and seemed to be able to smell everything, vampire included. Earlier when he walked into his office as she was putting her purse away, she held her breath as he passed by to reach his desk. So far, he hadn't said anything about it. Thank you Dial and her Peach Bellini body wash.

Now Lafayette was looking at her funny too? That was one she hadn't planned on, but she should have. He knew her; they had walked through some deep despair together. So what was he seeing when he looked at her? She had no idea. A quick glance at her watch had her groaning; it was only 5:15. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

><p>"So spill it. Come on now girlfriend – I would love to have some of whatever you are taking. You are looking so fine. And you have a smile on yours face. What's up with that?" Lafayette was not giving up. Every time she had to pick up an order he would ask in some form or another.<p>

She shook her head, just as she had the last five times.

"Come on! You gotta share so the rest of us bitches have a chance. You look fan-fucking-tastic." The word had barely rolled off his lips when his eyes jumped back to hers. His kohl rimmed eyes went wide.

"That's it," he cackled. "You. I figured it out. You!" He spun around and danced side to side before sliding up to the kitchen side of the window with a knowing grin. "You little minx, you got laid! You had fantastic sex last night! Good for you sister, you needed it."

Sookie tried to shake him off, "No, no Laf, I didn't." She forced herself to laugh, aiming for a light you've-got-to-be-kidding type laugh but she failed miserably.

She really did not want to be having this conversation. Not right now, not at work. Well maybe she did. Lafayette would listen, but definitely not here at work! She figured she was telling the truth. Yes, she had gotten laid and yes, it had been fantastic, but it had not been last night. Nope. She had been all alone last night. No nightly visitors for her. None.

She honestly didn't know if she was relieved or sad about that fact. She had practically convinced herself he wouldn't pay any attention to her note and come hunt her down. And maybe more than half of her had been slightly disappointed when she woke to bright sunshine and the birds singing after NOT being woken up in the middle of the night for a repeat performance. Once again she forced herself to focus on the fact that she had gotten a good night's sleep. And really, didn't she need that more than she needed great sex?

"Please bitch," Lafayette continued after a silent minute waiting for her to keep talking. "Who do you think you are talking to? I'm not buying what you are pathetically trying to sell Miss Stackhouse. You – YOU – got fucked six ways from Sunday, maybe even seven. Maybe not last night, but since I saw you last. You have that look."

Sookie blushed. She never could keep a secret. "Shhhhh,' she hissed leaning in close to him. "What look?" The words slipped out before she could stop them.

"That look! The one all over you. The one that screams I had an orgasm … and it was go-oo-od!"

Sookie could only gape at him. How could he see that? Was it really noticeable?

"So tell me. Come on now hookah – you wouldn't hold back on me, would you? So who was it?" Sookie didn't think his eyes could get any larger. "Did you make a decision between Fang One and Fang Two? Who exactly rocked your world?"

When she didn't answer he opened his mouth again.

Sookie quickly regained her tongue, "Oh no. You didn't! You did not just mix vampires into The Cat in the Hat!"

"I'm just callin' them like I'm seeing them. That Cat was probably pretty darn kinky himself!"

Sookie tried to look scandalized, but couldn't pull it off. She could only shake her head and laugh. They had loved that story as children and Gran had read it over and over and over again. Gran had even nicknamed Tara and Layfette, Thing One and Thing Two as they always seemed to cause a whole lot of trouble whenever they came by.

Sort of like some vampires she knew. It did sound familiar… maybe Lafayette was on to something?

She cocked her head, a challenging gleam in her eye, "Do you remember the book?"

"Do I remember, do I remember? Who do you think I am? Bring it bitch," he responded with attitude.

She took a breath, trying to remember herself, "The sun did not shine."

"It was too wet to play," he didn't miss a beat.

"So we sat in the house."

"All that cold, cold, wet day." He quickly recited, finishing the first page of the book they had known by heart as children.

They both looked at each. After a moment of silence, Sookie broke first. A quiet giggle escaped the straight face she was desperately hanging onto. Soon the giggles were replaced with out-right laughter. The whole thing struck Sookie as being so absurd, so ridiculous that she couldn't help but laugh. Lafayette was soon sucked into Sookie's giggle fit and every time they looked at each it would start all over again. Tears began to run down her face as she braced her hands on her knees in an attempt to stop the laughter. She honestly tried to stop, but she couldn't.

Sookie couldn't believe how good it felt to laugh and laugh hard. She had been having a great day and this was just icing on the cake. She felt freer than she had in months.

"Stop it!" She ordered him as he continued to chuckle, which in turn caused her to lose it again. She madly tried to wipe away the tears as Sam came through the swinging kitchen door. He looked suspiciously between the Sookie and Lafayette, both looking guilty as sin.

"Everything okay back here?" Sam's head continued to pivot back and forth between the two of them. Getting no further response he said, "Sookie, table three needs some refills."

"Yes sir" she wiped her eyes once more before grabbing her orders, turning to leave. Lafayette was close enough to hear her mutter under her breath, "Sam-I-am, Sam-I am. I do not like green eggs and ham." Laf coughed into his elbow to stifle his laugh. She glanced back at him with a sly smile and walked away with a little added swing to her step leaving both men shaking their heads.

She heard Sam as he turned back to Lafayette, "What was that all about?"

Lafayette looked right at Sookie, "Sam- I-am, Sam-I-am. I do not know. But maybe she does like those green eggs and ham." He smiled again, shooting her a wink before turning to leave Sam looking slightly bewildered.

The rest of the evening each time Sookie picked up an order, Lafayette would ask a question. He wasn't giving up.

"Did you do it here or there?"

"Would you, could you in the dark?"

"In the rain, on a train?"

"Did you do it in your house?"

"Were you quiet as a mouse?"

"With a fox?"

"In a box? I know, did you let him eat your box?"

"Lala – that is enough! No more. Stop," she sternly shook her finger at him. She leaned forward and whispered, "Not here, 'kay? Later."

He smiled. She was sure it was because she had finally given in. Nodding in agreement, he turned back to work without another word.

Later however, came a bit faster than Sookie anticipated. She figured they'd talk tomorrow since they would both be at work late. He would close down kitchen service for the night, finish tomorrow's prep and do a final cleanup long before the bar closed. He wouldn't want to wait around for her.

Only a couple hours had passed before she found herself alone with him. Sick of Arlene's whining about the overflowing trash cans, Sookie had taken matters into her own hands and was throwing the full bags into the dumpster behind the restaurant. She never saw Lafayette leaning against the building enjoying his after dinner rush smoke break until he spoke. Taking a deep drag on his hand rolled, he tried again to get her to spill.

"Come on Sookie, it's just you 'n me now." He exhaled slowly, "So tell me…Fang One or Fang Two?"

She rolled her eyes, "Didn't anyone ever tell you that a true lady doesn't kiss and tell?"

"Well I'm pretty sure that you were doing more than just kissin'," he said suggestively. "Well you don't have to tell me about the kissin…"

When her only response was to shake her head, he dropped the teasing tone. "Are you okay? In all seriousness – and yes, I can be serious. You okay?"

Sookie leaned against the building next to him, "Yes Laf, I'm okay. I'm….," she thought about it for a moment, "I'm good. I think I'm better than I have been in a while. And you? You seem pretty darn good yourself."

He nodded in agreement.

They both stood there watching the oncoming night in companionable silence. Sookie leaned a little closer and rested her head on his shoulder as they watched the murky night sky darken.

She took a deep breath, "I decided a couple mornings ago that I was done being sad. At least I gotta try to be. I need to move on… move forward, you know? I've been wallowing for too long. Gran would be appalled at my attitude lately."

He took another slow drag, "It's about time, about damn time. It took me a while to get there too. I figured you would sooner or later. You always were a little slower than me," he said with a poke to her side.

"Soooooo…," he exaggerated the word. "You gonna tell me which one came a knockin'?"

"Why does it have to be Eric or Bill? Maybe I met somebody new," she straightened up still hoping to distract him.

Apparently he was having none of that. "Well I know you Sookie-girl and you are so not the DTF type so it had to be one of the two of them."

"DT what? Laf, I have no idea what that even means." she threw her hands up in exasperation. Knowing Laf, she knew exactly what the F stood for, and she wasn't even going to go there on the rest of it.

"Okay sis, I leave you alone. At least for now, just tell me one thing," he was back to waggling his eyebrows suggestively leading Sookie to brace herself for his next words. "So, was it vertical or did you manage to find a bed for some horizontal action?"

Since he had dropped the serious tone, she did too. Sookie reached over and grabbed the dwindling cigarillo out of his mouth. Tossing it to the ground, she put it out with a quick turn of her heel. She grabbed the screen door and flung it open to head back inside. Catching the door on the rebound, she looked him right in the eye, "Both!" The look on his face was priceless; she had finally managed to surprise him. She laughed all the way back to inside.

* * *

><p>It had been a good night. Sookie stared in disbelieve as she counted her tips. She had made more tonight than she had all last week combined. Clearly, she needed to be in a good mood more often. Sookie quickly separated out the amount she owed Laf in the kitchen and the busboy. She added an extra twenty into Lafayette's share figuring he was partly responsible for her good mood. Well him and Dr. Suess.<p>

Her duties done for the night she grabbed her purse and hoped to leave without running into Sam. He hadn't said a whole lot all night, but she still wanted to stay away from him and his nose. Lafayette had sniffed out her secret, well not entirely and she really didn't want a repeat performance with the blood hound. She was happy and she really didn't want anything to spoil her good mood.

She should have moved a little faster. Sam managed to catch her coming out of his office. "Sook, got a second?"

"Yep. What's up?" Might as well get it over with, she figured.

"I just wanted to let you know that it's good to see you smile."

"Yeah, I think the whole town noticed. I really raked in some good tips tonight."

"And I wanted to ask you something."

The easy smile that she had been wearing slipped a little as she mentally prepared herself for Sam's next words. She had no idea what they were going to be, but she geared herself for the worst. Was he going to fire her again?

"Are you…," he cleared his throat and started again. "Does Northman still own your house?"

Oh that. "Yes."

"And you're still living there, right?"

"Yes, Sam. He may own it but it really is MY house," she said a bit defensively. This was not what Sookie had expected and he had unwittingly brought up a sore spot with her. She had quite successfully managed to brush off the uncomfortable situation for months by just plain ignoring it. Eric hadn't said anything to her and she had just continued to live there. She figured they were both choosing to overlook that particular elephant in the room.

"I know Sook, I agree," he quickly stated holding up his hands in surrender. "I'm only asking 'cause I'm concerned about your safety."

Before she could open her mouth in protest he continued on, "If he owns the house then any vampire can come and go as they please. If anything ever happened you couldn't rescind their invitation."

Sighing loudly, she plopped down on a bar stool realizing that she had to face this sooner or later and apparently Sam was making her do it tonight. "I know Sam, you're right…but I don't know what to do. Nothing's happened so far."

"Have you talked to Eric about it?"

"Nope. I…I really haven't talked to him since that night. The night Tara died."

A shadow of doubt crossed Sam's face, "What about Bill? Since he's the king, could he do something to …uh help you?"

"Believe it or not Sam; I haven't really talked to him either. I know. It is strange. One of them owns the house I'm living in and one of them lives next door, but our paths don't seem to cross….at all. I think we are all trying to avoid each other. Really I'm just trying to live my life," she shrugged her shoulders, "perhaps they're avoiding me."

She wasn't lying, well not exactly. There really hadn't been any talking the other night. Yes, some words had been spoken but really nothing of any substance; definitely not things that needed to be said. Nope. All of that had been pushed aside for a more basic type of communication. They had chosen to converse with their mouths in a different way, along with their hands and other body parts.

Sam shook his head in disbelief. "You really think this is you living your life?"

Sookie could only sigh. She knew what he was thinking, it was written all over his face. "Sam…"

"Listen I'm just worried about your safety."

"They wouldn't hurt me Sam. I know….I know we've had some differences, but I know that they wouldn't hurt me."

"And this isn't hurting you?" He threw up his hands, exasperation coloring his words. "I'm not talking about physically hurting you Sookie! From where I'm sitting, what this has done to you… This…this is worse."

He took a deep breath and started again, "Cher, I'm in no position to tell you what to do. I just want you to be safe. That's why I'm asking. Here." He reached across the bar and pressed a ring with two keys into the palm of her hand, closing her fingers around it. "Those are the keys to one of my rentals. It's empty and I want you to use it, if you want."

"Sam, no. I couldn't." Sookie shook her head trying to hand him back the keys.

"Yes Sookie, it's empty. I'm still in the process of getting it cleaned and ready to rent. I've still got some repairs to do and I've got some new carpet coming in, so I can't rent it right now." He took a deep breath before continuing. "But I own it so it's … it's vampire proof. Well as long as you don't invite them in, of course."

Sookie searched his eyes carefully. He wasn't judging, he wasn't looking at her with pity. Again, he closed her hands around the keys and simply kept both his hands on her. She knew what he was doing; he was inviting her into his mind. He knew the physical contact would make it easier for her to read him. She held his eyes as he held her hands. The inside of his head matched what was coming out of his mouth. He had no ulterior motive. He was honestly concerned and wanted her to take the keys.

"Please keep the keys, if you need a place to go you can use it. You can sleep there or just use it if you need to be alone, or safe …. or whatever. Okay?"

"Okay," she said a bit reluctantly. "You let me know when you are ready to rent it and I'll give you the keys back."

When he nodded his agreement she stood and walked around the bar to give him a hug. "Thank you Sam. You are a good friend." She whispered into his embrace, touched by his unexpected kindness.

His hug was warm both in sentiment and temperature and he held onto her a bit longer. "You know you can always talk to me, right? I want you to feel free to come to my place too. 'Kay?"

She nodded against his chest and gave him one more squeeze before she turned to leave.

* * *

><p>After a quick stop at the grocery store Sookie headed for home. The night was balmy enough that she drove with her windows down and the radio up. Grabbing her mail from the box she threw it in one of the grocery bags to be dealt with later. The only thing left on her agenda for the day was a hot, deep bath. It would be an excellent way to end the day and wash the general bar and fried food smell out of her hair.<p>

Sookie started the water, adding a generous helping of some peach bath salts and went back down to grab her mail to sort while the tub filled. It looked like a whole lot of junk: two credit card offers, a sales flyer from a new clothing store in town, a bill and a small padded jiffy pack envelope. The bill went on the counter, the junk in the trash. She flipped over the padded envelope to see who it was from. Written in very nice penmanship in the center of the envelope was her name and only her name. No return address, no stamp, not even her address; just her name. This had been hand delivered to her house. She cautiously gave the mystery package a quick pat. The contents appeared to be rather small as the envelope was practically flat. Very interesting.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she ripped it open and peered inside. Without a word she tipped the package over and out tumbled a scrap of fabric, her missing panties. No note, just her underwear.

Sookie just stood there, silently transfixed by the sight.

Without thinking she lifted them up to her nose and took a deep breath. They were clean. A soap different than the one she usually used tickled her nose. It was pleasant. She inhaled again.

He had washed them….er more likely, had them washed. Did vampires do their own laundry? She really hadn't thought about it before, but couldn't picture any of the vampires she knew doing something quite so domestic as a load of laundry. So either he had washed them himself or sent them out to be cleaned. She absently wondered if that was an unusual occurrence. How interesting.

Suddenly remembering her filling bathtub she ran upstairs just in time to turn the water off. Settling into the delicious warmth of the water, her eyes strayed to the cream colored hip huggers she had tossed next to the sink.

Sookie didn't know what to think. Why had he sent them? It was nice, very nice that he had returned them. And that they were clean too. Was he trying to tell her something? Or just make her think about that night and think about him? (Like she could forget!) Was she reading more than she should into an innocent gesture? "Yeah right!" she snorted. Innocent and vampire were two words that just did not go together. There was nothing innocent about him.

Sookie knew she had to stop thinking about it; otherwise she would be up all night. She was going to take it at face value as a nice gesture and be done with any further thoughts. She would just deal with it all later. With that decided she firmly pushed all remaining thoughts of vampires and panties out of her head and took a deep breath before sinking beneath the water. She could always think tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Pretty please, let me know what think. Please leave a review. Thanks!<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: The world of SVM belongs to solely to CH and TB to AB.

* * *

><p>Heart pounding, Sookie bolted upright in bed. A quick glance around confirmed she was home. Alone.<p>

She rubbed her eyes, madly trying to separate her dream from reality. It had all seemed so real, so very real. She could still feel his hands: on her body, in her hair, pulling off her clothing. If she closed her eyes she knew the images would be right there, unavoidably front and center. So she continued to sit, eyes wide open, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"It was only a dream. It was only a dream," she found herself muttering out loud. Maybe if she said it enough times she would believe it.

It was early, the room was still dark but murky sunlight was starting to paint the edges of her windows. It must be just past dawn. Knowing that going back to sleep wasn't going to happen, she unwound herself from her damp sheets and made her way to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror she absently ran her fingers down her neck. Turning her head side to side she looked closely. She was fairly certain that he had not bitten her the other night. She didn't remember any bites, but she had basically left her body a few times so a bite wasn't out of the realm of possibility. That morning at the Meridian she had also spent a long time looking in the mirror and then again in the shower too; closely examining her body and not finding any fang marks. So why was she looking again? Ugh - because she could still feel the drag of his fangs from that dream, that's why! Another shiver skidded down her spine at the thought.

When they had first kissed that night a little thrill had filled her when his fangs had abruptly descended. He had pulled back looking into her eyes as he opened his mouth to display them fully. He had wanted her to see them. He wasn't going to hide them. She wasn't stupid, she knew what he was and that fangs were part and parcel to being a vampire. She smiled at the memory of how she had surprised him. Reaching out to touch them, she had run her index finger down one fang, back and forth over his bottom lip and then down the other fang. Then she had all but jumped into his arms, wrapping herself around him as she sealed her mouth to his again. He wasn't the only one surprised at what she had done. When had she become so forward, so aggressive, so bold? She was still a little bewildered at her own actions that night. One thing she had no doubt about was that he was definitely a vampire.

Sookie had thought for sure he was going to bite her. His fangs had been down much of the night they spent together and he hadn't refrained from using them against her skin. He just hadn't bitten. What she hadn't expected was just how much she had wanted those fangs…in her. She traced her neck again remembering the drag of those tips. Really, it was quite amazing he hadn't drawn any blood. They were so sharp but yet he had run them up and down her body, never piercing her skin. It had felt amazing. Still trying to shake off the lingering effects of her dream she pulled off her sweat soaked nightgown and got into the hottest shower she could bear.

In less than a half hour she had coffee in hand, contemplating the long day stretching out before her. Church was at 10:00 and then Jason was coming over for dinner at 6:00. He had called earlier in the week and hinted around until she invited him over for a meal. She didn't need to be a telepath to know he wanted a home cooked meal. It was good to know that some things would never change.

Sookie was glad to have already picked up all the fixings for Gran's fried chicken and her sweet potato casserole. She figured they could probably both use some good old fashioned comfort food. In short order the chicken was prepped and soaking in buttermilk and the sweet potatoes were starting to simmer on the stove top. Grabbing another cup of coffee she leaned against the counter watching the small bubbles starting to form in the deep pot. Her mind began to wander back to the dream she had last night.

Hello hot sex dream, it's been a while since you've visited. Can't say that I've missed you, she thought.

Sookie was convinced that having both Bill and Eric's blood in her was the reason for all those X-rated dreams she'd had. The first one happening right after Bill had healed her gunshot with his blood the day after having taken Eric's. She had worn a fabulous red negligee and proposed that they both be hers. Following up her words with actions; first taking them both to her neck to dine and then later to her bed. Well they had eventually made it to her bed. She had gotten mighty distracted while helping them remove their clothing. A ménage a trois, her? So totally the fault of the vampire blood she had ingested. There was no way she would have those thoughts on her own!

What she hadn't known was that the dream would only be the beginning; the proverbial tip of the iceberg if you will. And apparently her unconscious iceberg was pretty darn big.

Not all of the dreams involved the three of them together intimately; sometimes one of them would watch the other make love to her, in that case Bill was often the voyeur, watching with varying levels of interest at what she and Eric were doing. In one of the earlier dreams they had taken turns having sex with her, each waiting patiently and not so patiently for it to be their turn. However mostly it had been just her and Eric or just her and Bill. Sometimes they simply talked, held hands or kissed, but usually the dreams involved sex, lots of hot steamy sex. At the top of the Ferris wheel at the fourth of July Bon Temps carnival, in a field of flowers in broad daylight, on the hood of her car, at the beach (both in the sand and in the water), on the bar at Fangtasia to the top of that beautiful round table in Bill's entryway; they had made love to her all over. No surface whether horizontal or vertical had been safe.

In one dream, Bill had taken her in the frozen foods section at the local Piggy Wiggly. The cold freezer door pressed up against her skin had made Bill seem downright warm in comparison as he pressed into her from behind. She couldn't remember how many dreams had taken place down in the light tight cubby in her house; Eric would call to her from its depths or lead her down there with a smirk on his face. Once Sookie had been blindfolded as she sat on Eric's tacky throne at Fangtasia; cool hands began to slide up her thighs, pulling her to the edge of the seat before pushing her knees apart. Even without the use of her vision she knew that it was Eric kneeling between her legs, flipping up her skirt. Somehow she could tell before feeling the soft touch of his lips and tongue. Likewise she recognized Bill's hands as they descended into her top making short work of the small row of buttons he found there. His hands remained busy with what he had uncovered as she tilted her chin up to receive his surprisingly chaste kiss against her lips. The kiss had been memorable as it was at such odds with the erotic feel of four hands caressing her intimately. It was then in the dream that Sookie realized she wasn't wearing anything but her dress; and with one quick rip she wasn't wearing anything at all.

The only consistent thing about the dreams was the small pool of three potential participants. The locations would change along with what they were wearing (or not wearing), time of day and what they were doing. Sometimes the dreams made her laugh; the things they would do and say would be so out of character in comparison to the vampires she knew. They would flirt with her, bring her flowers, bake her favorite chocolate cake (and then feed it to her), mow her lawn or join her on the couch to watch TV. Some of the places were very public and full of people, but more likely it was some place quiet where they were alone. Sometimes they had to wrestle to remove clothing like in real life, but other times their clothing just disappeared at the mere thought of being naked.

She never knew quite what to expect when she closed her eyes to sleep. After a while she had even found herself slightly jealous over the easy, flirty conversations her dream self had with the vampires. For the most part, Sookie had been glad when the dreams finally stopped. There had just been so many of them. They had done things that still made her blush.

The dreams had lasted for a good long while before they became less and less frequent, and then they stopped all together. Sookie figured their blood must have finally worn off. She hadn't thought about the dreams in a while, she had just been so glad when they finally did stop. Thinking back she realized that Bill had been first to disappear from her dreams, Eric had continued to make appearances for longer. Apparently Eric even in dream form was just as determined in his pursuit of her as in real life.

She wondered, and not for the first time, what would have happened between the two of them if he hadn't lost his memories. Would she have finally succumbed to his charms? Would he have still wanted her once he had her, once she was no longer the forbidden fruit? It was really downright stupid to think about; Eric had lost his memories and it had changed everything. The only thing more stupid to contemplate was how her life would have been different if Bill hadn't been sent by his queen, if he had just loved her like she loved him. She had sworn to herself she wouldn't think about those things when she told both of them goodbye all those months ago, that was partly why she had done it. Her life was forever changed because of the two of them; she was forever changed.

And yet she still thought about them. No matter how much she told herself not to, they kept sneaking into her brain. Now she was even back to dreaming about him, too. Last night's dream had been the first in quite a while; at least over a month. Was that why it had left her so unsettled? It had been so vivid and real. Hours later it was still causing her so much pause. Was this a blood dream, would there be more? Or was this because she had just seen him?

This dream had been different. After thinking through what she could remember she realized it to be more of a memory than a blood induced dream. The location had been clear. They had been at the Meridian, just the two of them. She had never dreamed of that hotel before; the vampire hotel in Dallas yes, but not the Merdian. Over an hour later she was still shaking off the feeling of his hands and mouth because she was remembering them; that had not happened with the blood dreams. Sure she had woken up hot and bothered on more than one occasion before, but the feelings had always quickly faded once she was awake. Not like this morning; this dream had felt so real that she had double checked the corners of her bedroom expecting to see him. It had her looking for fang marks on her neck. This had not been a made up dream fantasy, it had happened the other night. That was why it had felt so real.

The sharp ring of her cell phone jolted her upright. The sound cut harshly through her quiet kitchen. Walking over to the table she glanced at the display. Sookie frowned. Alcide Herveaux. Thank goodness for caller id. Did she want to talk to him? She reached out, her fingers hovering over the phone for two long rings before she pulled back empty handed. No, she did not. If it was important, he would leave a message. She walked back to the stove and grabbed a fork. As the tines easily slid into a chunk of potato her phone chimed again. So he had left a voice mail. She would listen to it later; or maybe not. Quite frankly, she didn't know what to do with Alcide.

"Men!" she exclaimed as she turned the heat off. She quickly drained the sweet potatoes filling the kitchen with a billow of steaming hot air, managing to keep just a little bit in the pot in case she needed it later for mashing. She left the bright orange chunks dripping in Gran's big metal colander and topped off her coffee before escaping the heat of the kitchen. The cool air outside felt wonderful and she found herself rocking on the porch glider.

What could Alcide want to talk to her about now? Sookie still had no idea what to expect from him. Maybe now he wanted to talk about Debbie. They certainly hadn't talked about her the last time he was here.

Now was he going to unleash his anger on her or want to know more of what happened? She had no clue. Bottom line, she had killed his ex-girlfriend. While she had never understood their twisted relationship, at some point they had had been something special to each other. Alcide had all but told Sookie that he had broken up with Debbie, but she still expected him to be angry at her. She had killed someone that he had loved once. No matter what had happened between the two of them Sookie was sure he didn't want her to die.

Everyone believed that she had killed Debbie Pelt in self-defense; even Andy Bellefleur had grudgingly agreed. Thank goodness, with everything else going on the last thing Sookie needed was a police investigation. Debbie had come there to kill Sookie. She had tried before and if she had gotten away she would have tried again until she was successful. As it was she had killed Tara. In that moment when she had grabbed the shotgun, Sookie knew that it was either going to be her or Debbie, someone was going to die that night. Sookie was glad she had lived.

That wasn't really the problem, or what she felt so awful about. The truth of the matter that Sookie really didn't like to think about or admit was that deep down she had wanted Debbie Pelt to die. And this was the second death on her hands! When Rene had come after her she hadn't thought at all, she just acted. This time around with Debbie however had been different. Sookie had been on top of the shewolf and had managed to get control of the situation. She could have called the police or something (anything!). But in that instant, the second before Debbie again grabbed at the weapon, Sookie realized she wanted Debbie to die. And then Debbie had grabbed the gun hard and with Sookie's finger already tight on the trigger it had fired. It was all over in a split second. Sookie didn't like it, but she had done it. Would she do it again? Yes, without a doubt. So what kind of person did that make her?

At first she had argued with Lafayette and then with Bill and Eric when they arrived that she couldn't claim self defense, that she had wanted Debbie dead so wasn't it more like premeditated murder? They had managed to convince her otherwise. Looking back she appreciated their intervention; they had been right. She may have wanted Debbie to die, but the reason why the bitch was actually dead was because of Debbie's own actions. Debbie had broken into Sookie's house. Debbie had come armed with a gun. Debbie had killed Tara and then turned set the gun sight on Sookie. She would not have killed her under other circumstances. Debbie had brought it on herself. Sookie may still worry about her lack of morals or what Gran would think of her now, but she wouldn't apologize for what Debbie had forced her to do.

So why is Alcide calling now? She thought back to the last time she had seen him. It had been about two months ago. He had stopped by unannounced, figuring she would tell him not to come if he called ahead. He had figured right.

Sookie remembered his visit clearly. She had been totally caught off guard when Alcide came strolling into her kitchen. She had no idea what to say or do. She had answered the back door without thinking stunned to see Alcide. Before she knew it she was stepping back, letting him inside. Sookie still didn't know what Alcide had said past his initial greeting as he walked in. He had restlessly paced her small kitchen. She could tell he was contemplating something, but as usual her telepathy couldn't decipher his were thoughts.

Much to her dismay, he kept stopping on the very spot where she had wrestled and ultimately shot Debbie. She could still picture his stiff movements as he walked back and forth, always managing to stand on that same spot. Alcide was such a big man, he just dwarfed her kitchen. He was talking and gesturing, but she never really heard any of it. She had been too busy reliving those awful last moments of Debbie's life in slow motion. Debbie had been so full of hate and then in an instant there had been so much blood. It had gone everywhere. Sookie had spent hours scrubbing to clean the ugly mess. Her eyes searched the floor, the cabinets and walls. Had she missed anything? Was there any speck of Alcide's former flame remaining?

Alcide must have finally realized that she wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying as he suddenly appeared right in front of her. She recalled the sheer relief she had felt that he had finally moved off of that damn spot. He gripped her shoulder with one hand and firmly brought her chin up with the other forcing her gaze away from the floor.

He murmured her name and briefly met her eyes before leaning down to brush a kiss across her lips. She had been so surprised all she could do was stare at him when he pulled back. Sookie had drawn in a breath to speak and he took advantage of her parted lips to lean in again and kiss her deeply. He may have moved quickly to capture her mouth, but his kiss was soft and deliberate. She had been so astonished that all she could do was stand there. She remembered thinking; maybe this was good, maybe this was what she needed. She made herself stop thinking and simply let herself enjoy the moment.

She began to kiss him back and he growled in approval; the sound rumbled through her entire body. His arms moved to hold her in a loose embrace as he slowly began to move his tongue against hers. It had been so… so very different. She had never kissed a man with a beard before. His moustache tickled and pricked her skin at the same time. His lips had been so warm and almost rough as they met hers; a totally different texture than what she was used to. Sookie slid her arms around him stepping closer. She was totally surrounded by his heat. It had felt good, at least in the beginning.

She had never had this much of her body touching his before, not to mention his tongue in her mouth. His snarly thoughts began to slowly coalesce into something that was readable to Sookie. He wanted her; that sentiment was clear. He ran one of his large hands up her back pulling her even closer, as he tipped her back changing the angle of the kiss. Alcide pulled back, his dark eyes staring into her lighter brown ones as they both took in some much needed oxygen. Sookie tried to figure out what she was doing. Did she really want this? Before she knew it he was licking his way back into her mouth and suddenly his thoughts became much clearer to Sookie. It was as if someone had hit play on a DVD player. He was picturing her lying naked in the woods. Sookie flinched in surprise but before she could pull away his mental picture shifted and Eric was on top of her and she…he… they were making love. It was all so clear; she could practically hear the night sounds of the woods and the slick sounds of their bodies moving together.

It was just how she remembered it actually happening, only from a vastly different vantage point.

Oh my god, somehow he must have seen them that night in the woods. It was the only explanation. How else would he be able to picture this? She had no idea he had been there. He had certainly never said a word. Sookie was horrified. That was a private moment. He had no right to have these memories, to know what this looked like. Only she and Eric did. The picture in Alcide's mind flickered slightly and Eric's pale body disappeared to be replaced by Alcide's darker, ruddier form. The Sookie in his mind didn't pause, didn't seem to notice any difference. Her arms continued to stroke his back, her leg hooked around his as if nothing was different and Alcide's body continued to move over top of hers without pause.

It was just too much, she wasn't ready for this. No - she didn't want this. She pulled her thoughts back together and realized that Alcide was still kissing her even though she had stopped responding. His embrace was uncomfortably warm; she braced her hands on his chest and pulled her head back.

"Stop Alcide. Stop," she panted, pushing against his chest.

He leaned back and looked down at her in stunned confusion, his arms still folded around her. It wasn't enough space, she needed more. Sookie was desperate to put some space between them. She needed to stop his heavily edited mental peep show from playing in her head. It was like her teen years all over again with hormonal boys and her developing chest. She pushed back again. "No." She took a step back and then another.

A blush creeped up his cheeks as he backed away. "Sorry, I…ahh… I got a little carried away." He glanced to the side, unable to meet her eyes.

"Yes," the word came out a little harsher than she intended. She took a deep breath, "I think we both did. But you need to know. I'm… I'm not ready for this, or for anything. I don't want…"

She took another step back and bumped into the fridge, she had crossed the whole length of her kitchen without knowing it. She brought the back of her hand up to her mouth.

"I think you should go now."

He didn't argue. He made her promise to call him if she needed anything and then he was gone. She did hear him mutter something under his breath about "damn vampers" before the screen door slammed shut behind him.

Sookie remembered herself likewise swearing at the "damn Peeping Tom werewolf" as she promptly locked the door behind him. She could vividly recall how unsettled she had felt after he had left. What she had seen in his head was disconcerting on so many levels.

Reliving his past visit thoroughly had her creeped out again.

She still couldn't believe that Alcide had watched them in the woods. Did he really think he could slide right into her life? That he could just replace her lover? It was downright disturbing to see how he had removed Eric from between her arms and legs and simply slid himself in…literally! She felt herself getting mad all over again. Once again a shiver slid down her back, although this time is wasn't a pleasant feeling. She shrugged her shoulders, trying to shake away the lingering uneasy feeling. Ugh.

What had he said to her all those months ago when he had stopped by Merlotte's? Something about how they might be better off if instead of following their hearts, they followed their brains when looking for love. Sookie hadn't understood it then anymore than she did now. How in the world do you love without your heart? Could you really be in love if you didn't follow, didn't involve your heart? Sookie didn't think so. She didn't want that. Not that she was one to talk. Following her heart had led to her own tears, but Sookie didn't think she could really love anyone, truly love a man without having her heart involved. There had to be someone out there that her heart and brain would lead her too.

Sookie gagged on her next sip of coffee. It was stone cold and nothing was worse than cold coffee. Just how long had she been out here? A quick glance at her watch had her groaning. When had it gotten so late? She had lost time again mooning over life, dreams and men. She needed to get a move on otherwise she was going to be late for church. She tossed the unwanted coffee into the front bushes, something Gran had often done in the same situation. She couldn't help but smile at the memory. She would go visit Gran's grave after church. It had been a couple weeks since she had been there last. Her day was shaping up nicely; it would be good to visit with God, Gran and Jason. Now if she hurried maybe she would even get there in time to sit in Gran's favorite pew.

* * *

><p>AN: So is everyone watching the new season? This chapter was basically done except for the editing before the season started so I had to chuckle over Sookie's similiar reaction to killing Debbie on the show. I've also got some future bits and pieces done. I'm still shaking my head over SO many things...

Why AB? Why?

Won't you please let me know what you are thinking! Thanks for reading and your review!


End file.
